Jordan Ayew ranked 7th best player in Europe

Ghana and Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew has been ranked the 7th best player in Europe for the last one month.

The 28-year-old’s performance between February and March has been rated ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.

The rankings were compiled by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory, using data from OptaPro.

The criteria for the ranking include shooting, change creation, distribution, rigour, recovery and take ons.

The player’s creativity, vision, technique, accuracy and risk-taking among other things, were also considered.

Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado was ranked the best player in Europe for the last one month, while Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry took second-place.

Napoli duo Fabián Ruiz and Luis Alberto followed in 3rd and 4th respectively, while Thomas Muller came in fifth.

Jordan is currently one of Ghana’s best performers in Europe and has been scoring goals for fun at Crystal Palace.

The former Aston Villa marksman registered his eighth goal of the season on Saturday as Crystal Palace edged Watford 1-0 at the Selhurst Park.

The goal has made him Ghana’s joint-highest scorer in Premier League history with 24 goals – a record he holds alongside Tony Yeboah.

Below are the top 10 best performers in Europe between February and March, according to CIES Football Observatory:

1. Juan Cuadrado – 97.3 (Juventus FC)

2. Serge Gnabry – 96.5 (FC Bayern München)

3. Fabián Ruiz – 95.7 (SSC Napoli)

4. Luis Alberto – 95.7 (SS Lazio)

5. Thomas Müller – 94.7 (FC Bayern München)

6. Nikola Maksimovi? – 94.3 (SSC Napoli)

7. Jordan Ayew – 94.0 (Crystal Palace FC)

8. Kai Havertz – 93.7 (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

9. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 93.3 (Arsenal FC)

10. Jonathan Tah – 93.3 (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)